


Let The Walls Break Down

by Who_the_hell_is_Tre_Cool



Category: All Time Low (Band), As It Is (Band), Paramore, Set It Off (Band), Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, LGBTQ Character, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Trans, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2020-07-09 11:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19887298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Who_the_hell_is_Tre_Cool/pseuds/Who_the_hell_is_Tre_Cool
Summary: 'The look on his mother’s face made him want to cry. What had he been thinking? They’d be so disappointed. And he’d started now, so he couldn’t even take it back.'Awsten is trans and moves to a new school.(Title from Walls by All Time Low)( Warning for the book may change over time. Separate warnings will be in the notes for each chapter.)





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some warnings here for homophobia and transphobia. Nothing physical, just verbal.

The overhead light was flickering. That was what Patty noticed first. The warm, yellow light flickering above the room. If he were someone else, he’d say it were symbolic of what he was about to do. The light would either go out, or stay on. Patty would either be kicked out, or accepted with open arms. But Patty wasn’t someone else. He was himself. Well. No longer he.

***

Awsten stood at the bottom of the stairs, listening to the sounds of her father in the living room. The television was blaring some sports show, and she knew not to interrupt. She’d wait until the adverts. She’d been waiting for three years. Waiting, planning, waiting, researching. Until she’d found the answer. Because she didn’t feel like a she. But her body said she was. Her dad said she was. Her school record said she was. Her birth certificate said she was. And really, could they all be wrong? But Awsten was certain. She was a he.

***

“Rachel?” God, his voice sounded nervous. Why was he nervous? Patty didn’t know. After taking a steadying breath, he pushed open the door to his sister’s room. “Rachel?”

The sister in question was hunched over her desk, messy hair sticking up at odd angles from running her hands through it, music blaring from the headphones in her ears. Patty let a fond smile form on his face, stepping forwards and tapping her shoulder.

Pencil making a quiet tapping noise as it was dropped; Rachel tugged her headphones out and turned to face him. “Is something wrong? You look really nervous.”

“I-uh- yeah. Everything’s fine. I just... I have something to tell you.”

Rachel fully turned her body now. She was wearing one of Patty’s old shirts, over sized and over washed, the once black material faded to an off grey, the printed logo cracked and peeling. “What’s up?” Her calm voice shocked him out of his t-shirt based musings.

“I- uh-” May as well just rip off the metaphorical band-aid. “I’m genderfluid.”

Rachel blinked, blue eyes (one of the few characteristics the siblings shared) staring blankly for a moment. Too long a moment. Patty wanted to cry.

Eventually, Rachel asked, “What does that mean?” And Patty let out a breath. There was no judgement in her voice, just curiosity.

“It means sometimes I feel like a boy, sometimes I feel like a girl, sometimes I feel like both and sometimes I feel like neither.”

Rachel nodded slowly, “I think I get it.”

Patty felt tears well in his eyes and hugged her tightly, whispering, “Thank you,” and, “I love you,” until Rachel gently pushed him off.

“Are you gonna change your name?”

Patty hadn’t really thought about this. “Maybe. I’m not sure. At the moment it’s okay. Although, uh- pronouns. They’re gonna change, possibly every day. I might get like, bracelets to show which pronouns to use, he, she, or they.”

Another slow nod from Rachel. “When are you telling mom and dad?”

“Now, hopefully.”

***

The telltale music of an ad break told Awsten that the time for planning was up. He sighed softly, and stepped into the room just as his mother entered. His mother was a pretty woman. Big, green eyes, dark hair that curled ever so slightly, full, pouty lips. So pretty. All the good looks in the family had gone to Awsten’s sister.

Sprawled out on the sofa was Awsten’s father. He was not pretty, nor handsome. Not even vaguely attractive. At least not by Awsten’s standards. To anyone else, he may have been handsome, and his wife the ugly one. But they were Awsten’s parents, and he looked past the beauty of appearance to see the beauty of personality.

Where his mother was kind, his father was not.

That was all he could say on the topic.

Or rather, all he was going to say.

He cleared her throat, cringing slightly at the sound as both of his parents looked at him. His mother with a soft smile, his father with nothing but boredom in his features.

“Shouldn’t you be doing homework?” His father spoke first. Of course he did.

“I’ve finished it. And, um, I had something to tell you...”

The look on his mother’s face made him want to cry. What had he been thinking? They’d be so disappointed. And he’d started now, so he couldn’t even take it back.

***

“Mum, dad, I’m genderfluid.”

It was a lot easier the second time, with Rachel stood by his side. He still felt like he wanted to cry and/or vomit, but not so much. His parents had a different response to Rachel’s.

“What’s that then?” Asked his mother, the hint of disinterest in her voice causing Rachel to squeeze his shaking hands.

“It’s where sometimes you’re a boy and sometimes you’re a girl and sometimes you’re neither,” explained Rachel, before Patty could chicken out.

His mother let out a soft laugh. “If you wanted to cross dress you should’ve just asked Rachel for help.”

Patty felt his throat closing up, and he gripped Rachel’s hand like a lifeline.

His father echoed the laugh with a throaty chuckle. “Yeah, what you do in the bedroom is none of our business. I suppose you just want our money for clothes huh? Yes, that must be it.”

Rachel quickly led him out the room, their parent’s laughter still audible. He looked up at her, vision cloudy from the tears.

“Oh Patty...” She hugged him tight, and he let out a muffled sob.

“They’ll understand eventually.”

***

“M-Mom, dad, I’m... I’m trans.”

Silence.

The clock down the hall was ticking loudly.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick._

His heartbeat was loud in his ears.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

Eventually, finally, his mother broke the silence. In a slightly strained voice that made Awsten want to cry, she said, “What do you mean by that dear?”

Now or never.

“I’m a boy.”

“No you’re not.”

_Why didn’t he pick never?_

“I am.”

His father glared at him, a look that made him want to curl up and die.

“Do not argue with me young lady. You are my daughter. Don’t be stupid. We’ve put up with this dyke shit for long enough. You’re lucky we let you leave the house dressed like that.”

Awsten nodded shakily.

_Why hadn’t he picked never?_

“And if I hear another word of this bullshit, you will no longer be my daughter. You will be out on the streets. Do you understand?”

A sympathetic look from his mother. Maybe. Probably just pity. With a tinge of disappointment.

_God, he wished he picked never._


	2. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings here, apart from misgendering at the very beginning. Some nice fluff.

“Kirra, Gracie, can you come downstairs a minute?”

Awsten sighed softly, placing down the CD’s he’d been carefully unpacking and stepping out of his room. Across the hall, his sister Gracie emerged from her room. That was the one good thing about moving house. He no longer had to share a room with Gracie. Moving house was incredibly stressful, and Awsten had hated every second of it, but now they were at the new house he could see why it was a good idea.

He and Gracie headed downstairs, and he caught a glimpse of himself in the full length mirror in the hallway that he just knew was going to become the bane of his existence.

Long brown hair tucked under a beanie to appear shorter, oversized cream sweater hanging off his frame in an attempt to hide any curves. The role of the sweater was immediately negated by the loose skater skirt that came down to just above his knees.

He and Gracie walked into the kitchen, where their mother was sorting out the box of appliances.

“I know you’ve still got things to unpack in your rooms, but it’s such a nice day, so I think you should go and see what the neighbours are like.”

Awsten let out an inaudible sigh, and nodded. Gracie nodded too, looking just as uninterested. But their mother didn’t seem to catch on, looking happy as ever.

Gracie led the way out the door, barely stopping for Awsten to shove his feet into a pair of beat up converse.

“Okay, you go that way, I’ll go this way, no one has to know we’re related,” She said quickly, before turning and walking away.

Awsten turned in the opposite direction and started walking, stopping at the first house to have a car in the driveway. He walked to the door and rang the doorbell, tugging his sweater sleeves over his hands anxiously. After a couple of minutes wait, the door was opened by a boy around his own age. He had deep brown eyes and shoulder length hair dyed fiery red, dark roots clearly visible. He looked a little confused to find a person he didn’t recognise stood on his doorstep, so Awsten quickly introduced himself.

“Hi, my family just moved in a couple of doors down and my mom wanted me to go say hi to the neighbours or whatever so- uh- hi,” he rushed out, stumbling over his words a little.

The boy didn’t seem phased, he just smiled and stepped to the side, “wanna come in? I’m Jawn, by the way.”

Awsten nodded, stepping inside, “I-I’m- uh-” He fumbled a little. He had the chance to introduce himself as a he, and there was no way his parents would know. But he was wearing a skirt. But this new person knew nothing about it. He decided to go for it.

“I’m A-Awsten.”

The name felt almost foreign on his tongue, as he’d only said it to himself while looking in the bathroom mirror.

Jawn shut the door behind him and led the way upstairs. He opened the door to what Awsten assumed was his bedroom. The walls were a sort of muted orange color, and the carpet was plush and beige. A bed was pushed to one corner, with fairy lights wrapped around the headboard, and there was a desk next to the wardrobe. Their houses had the same layout, and this was the room Gracie had. It was the bigger room, after all, she was the favorite child.

Jawn took a seat on the bed, gesturing for Awsten to sit as well. Awsten kicked his shoes off, before sitting at the foot of the bed, crossing his legs and facing Jawn.

Above the bed there hung some sort of flag, but Awsten didn’t know what it was. It had four stripes, yellow, white, purple, and black, and was vaguely familiar to Awsten.

“What pronouns do you use?” Jawn asked suddenly.

Awsten hesitated a little, and Jawn continued.

“I’m not too picky about my pronouns, I usually use they, but he or she is fine. I’m nonbinary, that’s what that flag means.”

Awsten looked up at him, nodding once.

“I-I use he,” he hesitated for a moment, before continuing, “I’m trans, I came out to my parents a couple of years ago but they didn’t like it. My dad threatened to kick me out and my mom just stood there. They make me where skirts and stuff cuz they think it’ll make me realise I’m actually a girl or something.”

He didn’t realise he was crying until Jawn’s arms had wrapped around him.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’ll get away from them some day. And, if you want, you can stop at my house before school each morning and borrow some more masculine clothes.”

Awsten pulled away from the hugged, but stayed close to his new friend.

“I’d like that.”


	3. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor warnings for mentions of homophobia but like, barely,,,,, This chapter's mostly just fluff tbh. Cody and Maxx have a vvv pure friendship.

Cody walked into the room, a wide grin on his face, “Guess what arrived this morning!” he called out, placing a box on the table.

Otto, Geoff and Miss Hinks, the teacher whose room they used for the GSA club, looked up, and Maxx grabbed a pair of scissors, bounding over excitedly.

They opened the box, and Cody pulled out the rainbow pride flag to hang on the wall. Their last one had been ripped down by a group of homophobic assholes, and the school wouldn’t provide money for a new one, so Miss Hinks had given them her own money for a flag.

Miss Hinks was a badass teacher. She was fairly short, with long, dyed black hair. She wasn’t that old, but she wasn’t youthful, and she always wore black eyeliner. She listened to bands like Green Day, and was the reason Maxx was actually good at math. Well. They enjoyed math, even if they weren’t the best at it.

Maxx was the assigned leader of the school’s GSA club, but Miss Hinks was their supervision. The club wasn’t too big, but they were all good friends, even if they didn’t hang out in the same friendships groups.

Maxx and Cody were good friends, along with Dan and Zach, who never got into school early enough to hang out in the mornings.

Otto and Geoff were good friends, and they often hung out with Maxx and Cody outside of the club. Otto and Geoff were also friends with Jawn, but Jawn had their own group to hang out with.

They’d just finished putting the flag up when the bell rang. Maxx and Cody grabbed their bags and headed to their first lesson, Chemistry. They sat down in their usual seats, nodding a greeting to Ben when xe walked in. Ben was one of Jawn’s friends, and while Maxx wasn’t incredibly close to xem, xe was a member of the GSA and overall a nice person.

A few minutes later, Jawn walked in, a guiding hand on the arm of a new person, who was wearing a hoodie Maxx was pretty sure belonged to Jawn.

Jawn led the new person to the teacher’s desk and said something to him quietly. The teacher nodded, and Jawn smiled, leading the new person to the back, where Ben had taken xir seat.

“Check out the new kid,” Maxx said, nudging Cody, who had already begun dozing off.

Cody blinked a little before glancing over.

“They’re kinda cute. Are they wearing Jawn’s hoodie?”

“That’s what I thought-” Maxx paused, “The hoodie part, not the cute part. Although they are quite cute.”

Cody laughed quietly, and turned back to face the front when the teacher started the lesson.

Maxx didn’t pay much attention, they never did, but today they were preoccupied thinking about the new kid. Mostly, they just wondered why they were wearing Jawn’s hoodie.

Jawn, Ben, and Patty were a trio well known around the school. They were all kind and accepting, and helped out anyone who needed it. But they never became close with anyone outside of their group, so seeing Jawn immediately adopting this new kid was quite strange, particularly for Jawn, who tended to keep to themselves. Maxx only really knew them from the GSA, and maybe the little bit of Instagram stalking they’d done of Patty.

Maxx watched the new kid for a little longer, until Jawn noticed and glared at them, so Maxx turned away.

The new kid seemed quite shy and closed off, only half-smiling at Ben’s jokes and thinking for a long time before making any comments.

“Seriously?” Cody said suddenly, and Maxx looked over.

“What?”

“It’s been barely half an hour, and you’ve already got a crush on the new kid.”

Maxx spluttered a little, the tips of their ears flushing red, “What- don’t be stupid, no I don’t.”

Cody just smirked knowingly and went back to his work.


	4. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi watch what happens next is a bop I'm in love.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Ben said, as the pair walked from their English classroom to their usual spot on the field.

Patty looked up from watching the freshly cut grass cling to her new Doc Martens, “Forgot to tell me what?”

“Jawn made a new friend. Trans kid called Awsten, lives near them. I didn’t get to speak to him much, but Jawn told me some stuff. Apparently his parents are really shitty and forced him to wear skirts after he came out, so Jawn’s letting him borrow clothes for school every morning.”

Patty adjusted her fishnets a little before sitting down, tugging her skirt so she didn’t accidentally flash anyone, “What’s he like?”

“Quite shy, but I think he’s just not really used to talking to people. We had quite a long conversation about the GSA, he seemed real interested in joining. He was really interested in learning different pronouns and stuff, it was quite cute.”

“What was quite cute?” Came Jawn’s voice as they sat down beside Ben, “other than Patty of course, but Patty’s always cute,” they added, along with an over exaggerated wink.

Patty rolled her eyes, grinning, “We were talking about the new guy.”

“When he asked me to explain my pronouns to him and looked like I’d just presented him with the fountain of youth or something.”

Jawn smiled fondly, “Yeah, that was pretty cute.”

“Where is he, anyway?” Ben asked, glancing around as if expecting Awsten to pop up out of nowhere.

“Oh, he said he’d forgotten his lunch money and needed to go ask his sister if he could borrow some. But he looked kinda pale and stuff, so I think he just needed an excuse to get away for a bit. I dunno.”

Patty nodded in agreement, “It must be a bit overwhelming, joining a new school and making new friends and everything.”

After a few minutes of sitting quietly and eating their lunch, a kid Patty didn’t recognise awkwardly approached and sat beside Jawn.

Jawn grinned, “Awsten, this is Patty, Patty this is Awsten.”

The new kid lifted his head to look at Patty, and Patty felt all the air leave her lungs. Awsten had long brown hair tucked under a beanie in a manner that made it look like a scene style sweep. His hair almost covered his eyes, one of which was blue and the other was hazel. He looked so shy and Patty instantly felt the need to protect him.

“Hi,” Awsten said quietly, and Patty watched him take in her outfit. Then he surprised her by, in the same quiet voice, asking, “sorry- but- uh- what are your pronouns?”

Ben looked ecstatic, so clearly Patty wasn’t the only one who adored Awsten.

“You don’t have to apologise,” She said, smiling gently, “I’m genderfluid, so it changes most days. Today I’m a girl, so she/her works just fine.”

Awsten nodded, still looking shy, but a little less awkward than before.

Ben spoke up, “She wears necklaces to show what pronouns to use. The moon pendant means feminine, the sun pendant means masculine, and the star pendant means neutral,” xe explained, and Awsten nodded along.

“That’s pretty cool,” Awsten said, smiling a little.

The group went back to eating their food and messing about. Awsten was still quiet and reserved, and Patty tried to include him as much as possible, hoping she could make him feel more comfortable with being himself.

When the bell rang to signify the end of lunch, Patty walked besides Awsten to their next class, until they eventually had to part ways.

“Hey, Aws,” She said, getting his attention, “Do you wanna come to the GSA meeting tonight?”

Awsten looked hesitant, biting his lip.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I think you might enjoy it. At least come to meet everyone, and if you decide it’s not for you, you can leave.”

After a moment longer, Awsten nodded, “I guess. Are you and Ben and Jawn gonna be there?”

Patty grinned, “Awesome! And, yeah, we are. We usually meet by Jawn’s locker at the end of the day so we can walk together. Do you know where that is?”

Awsten nodded again, a small smile gracing his lips, “Yeah, okay. I’ll meet you there. Thank you.”

And Patty walked away feeling like she’d just changed Awsten’s world.


	5. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing the whole gang. No warnings for this chapter.

At the end of the day, Awsten made his way to Jawn’s locker, head down, sleeves of his borrowed hoodie tugged over his hands. Ben and Patty were already there, Patty talking animatedly and waving her hands about while Ben listened, fondness evident in xir eyes.

Jawn turned up a few minutes later, shooting Awsten a smile before the group started walking, Patty and Ben in front and Awsten and Jawn behind.

“Are you excited to meet everyone?” Jawn asked, as the group headed to the math room where the club was held. Awsten just shrugged, looking down anxiously.

“Kind of,” he eventually responded. “I’m also kinda nervous.”

Jawn smiled, taking Awsten’s hand and squeezing it gently, “You’ll be fine, everyone’s really nice. Not everyone turns up every week, so I can’t tell you what to expect. But if Alex and Jack are there then things might get a bit crazy. Those two tend to be wild, even with Rian and Zack to stop them.”

Awsten just nodded, mentally preparing himself.

The group walked into the room, and Awsten immediately recoiled a little at the amount of shouting, mostly people greeting Patty and Ben. A girl(?) with caramel colored hair whistled at Patty, and the boy(?) next to her with dark hair bleached in one section smacked her arm.

“Alright, I think that’s everyone,” said Maxx, stood at the front. Maxx was the one person Jawn had really told him about, and Awsten vaguely recognised them from his chemistry class first thing. “Let’s set up the circle, c’mon, we’ve gotta do introductions, there’s a new person.”

Awsten grabbed a chair and took a seat between Jawn and Ben, looking around the circle. There was around twenty people, and quite an even mix of male, female, and androgynous presenting people.

“I think for once we have a full house,” Jawn said quietly, as everyone began to settle down.

Maxx cleared their throat, “Okay, first of all, awesome to see everyone here, that means we can get all introductions out the way first. Most of you will have noticed the new person,” Maxx gestured Awsten and he waved awkwardly, “So we’re gonna go round the circle, say your name, gender, pronouns, sexuality. Sound good?” Everyone nodded. “Awesome, okay. I’ll start. I’m Maxx, I’m nonbinary, I use they/them pronouns, and I’m queer.”

Then it went to the person beside Maxx, “I’m Cody, I’m a trans guy, I use he/him pronouns, and I’m homoromantic asexual.”

“I’m Hayley, cis female, so I use she/her pronouns. And I’m bisexual.”

“Geoff, I’m a cis guy, I use he/him pronouns and I’m straight.”

“I’m Otto, I’m a trans demigirl, I use she/they pronouns, I don’t really mind which you chose, and I’m a big old lesbian.”

“I’m Grace, I’m cis and I use she/her pronouns. I’m bi, and Otto is my amazing girlfriend.”

Awsten found himself smiling a little at this. They seemed like a sweet couple.

“You already know me,” Jawn said, as they were sat beside Grace, “But, I’m Jawn, I’m nonbinary, I use they/them pronouns, I’m aromantic and pansexual.”

Awsten hesitated a moment, before asking quietly, “What does pansexual mean?”

“It means a person’s gender isn’t a factor that affects my attraction to them.”

Awsten nodded a little, “Okay. Well, um- I’m Awsten, I-I’m a trans guy, I use he/him pronouns, a-and I think I might be pansexual.” He glanced up, and saw Maxx smiling at him.

“I’m Ben, I’m agender and use xe/xim pronouns. I’m queer.”

“I’m Patty, I’m genderfluid, I use he, she, or they pronouns. Today is a she day. I’m pansexual.”

“I’m Foley, I’m cis, I use he/him pronouns, and I’m bi.”

“I’m Ali, I’m a cis guy, I use he/him and I’m a heterosexual.”

“I’m Ronnie, I’m a cis guy, I use he/him, and I’m heteroromantic asexual.”

“I’m Al- Jack stop- I’m Alex, I’m non-binary, I use they/them pronouns- Jack seriously-” Awsten couldn’t see what Jack was doing, from the angle he was at, “I’m pansexual and polyamorous. And I’m dating these motherfuckers,” Alex gestured the three other people between them and Maxx, and it clicked for Awsten that Alex was the one who’d whistled at Patty. The dark haired person beside them was the one who’d smacked their arm.

“Alex, watch your language, we’re still in school,” Came a voice from the other side of the room, and Awsten glanced over. He assumed that was the teacher that supervised.

“Yeah Alex, watch your language,” teased the dark haired person, and Alex did something that caused them to shriek.

Maxx rolled his eyes, “Guys, please sit still. At least until we finish introducing everyone.”

The dark haired person smacked Alex’s hand and cleared their throat. “I’m Jack, I’m trans and I use she/her pronouns. I’m bi, and Alex already told you that I’m poly but I’m gonna say it anyway.”

“I’m Zack, I’m trans, and I use he/him pronouns. I’m bi and poly too.”

“I’m Rian, I’m cis and use he/him pronouns. I’m queer and poly.”

Maxx clapped his hands, “Awesome, you guys can mingle for about ten minutes, then we’ll come back to the circle for today’s discussion.”

Then Jack shrieked again, and everyone retreated into groups of friends to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Alex are so fun to write.
> 
> Leave a comment: I wanna know who your favourite characters are so far!


	6. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm so bad at updating, I've recently got into 5SOS and have started two new fics I have no excuse for not updating this I'm sorry.

“Okay everyone, back in the circle,” Maxx called out, taking their seat and watching everyone disband from their groups. Once everyone was paying attention (minus Jack and Alex, but were they ever really paying full attention?), they started talking. “So, the plan for today was to talk about coming out. Personal stories from those who are out and want to talk about, and then we can share advice for coming out and dealing with unsupportive parent and such. I understand that this may get a bit sad, and if you don’t wanna share details then you don’t have to. First off, let’s see, raise your hand if you’re out to anyone in your family, whether they’re supportive or not.”

Cody, Otto, Grace, Jawn, Awsten, Patty, Alex, and Zack all raised their hands. Otto looked a little angry, but she always did at the mention of her coming out. Jawn was whispering quietly to Awsten, who looked upset, and Patty looked a little sad too.

“Alright, that’s nearly half. That’s cool. And out of you guys, keep your hand up if you were accepted.

Otto’s hand dropped, which Maxx was expecting. Awsten’s hand dropped immediately as well, and Patty sort of hesitated, shrugging a little.

Maxx hummed, “Patty, do you wanna start us off? You don’t have to, but you seemed hesitant to put your hand down.”

Patty just shrugged again, “I came out to my sister first, once I explained everything she said it was cool. She taught me how to do makeup and stuff for my girl days,” She smiled slightly, which made Maxx’s heart flutter for no reason. “My parents were kinda weird about it. Mom didn’t really care, she laughed when I explained. Dad called it a kink and said that I was only telling them because I wanted money-” Patty hesitated, and Ben linked their fingers together, a silent gesture of support. “They’re okay with it, I guess? They’ve never threatened to kick me out. They just... don’t really care what I do? They’re not terrible, but they could be better.”

“That sounds pretty terrible to me,” Awsten spoke up, surprising Maxx. “If they don’t completely support you, then they’re terrible, no way around it. If they were outright horrible to you, then you could argue with them, or leave, or something. But from what you said, it sounds like they view it as a joke, and that’s the worst way someone can think of you...” Awsten trailed off, looking down, before mumbling, “Sorry, you didn’t need my opinion-”

Patty cut him off, “No, I appreciate it. I never really thought of it like that.”

“Alright, who wants to share next?” Maxx asked.

Otto sighed softly, “I’ll do it. Let’s get all the sad sh- stuff out the way first.”

Maxx already knew Otto’s coming out story, but it was only them and Grace who knew the details. All everyone else knew was that it didn’t go well.

“I came out a couple of years ago. My parents are kinda traditional, so I didn’t really know how they were gonna take it. They basically told me my gender identity didn’t exist, and that, if I really was a ‘girl’, I’d act more feminine and I’d like boys. They then said that if I wanted to keep up the act then I’d be kicked out, so I left. I live with Grace now, and I’m actually happy, so I’m sorta glad I left. Although it’s still difficult sometimes.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment, and then Awsten said, “If we’re getting the sad ones out the way then I guess it’s my turn.”

Jawn looked a little surprised that Awsten had decided to speak, so Maxx guessed Jawn already knew Awsten’s story.

“I came out to my parents a while ago. I told them I was a boy, and my dad responded with ‘no you’re not’. He then called me stupid and said that he’d ‘put up with this dyke shit long enough’ and that I was lucky he let me go outside dressed in more masculine clothes. He then said that if I mentioned it again I’d be out on the streets. Neither of my parents have mentioned it since, and my sister doesn’t know it even happened. But they threw away all my comfy clothes and have made me wear skirts ever since. When we moved here, my mom sent me and Gracie to go meet the neighbours, and I met Jawn,” Awsten smiled slightly, glancing at his friend, “And they offered to lend me clothes. So that’s one good thing I’ve got going for me, I guess.”

“Anybody else? No, okay let’s move onto happy ones now, cuz I’m getting sad,” Jack spoke up, causing a ripple of slightly awkward laughter to pass through the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have up to chapter 8 prewritten, no plan I'm just going with the flow.
> 
> Comments pls <3


	7. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I accidentally abandoned this work in favour of writing for 5sos and, apparently, One Direction. I don't even know at this point.

Patty felt her need to protect Awsten grow after hearing his coming out story. She’d only known him a day, but she already adored him. 

Cody, Alex, Zack, and Grace all shared their happy coming out stories, and Patty made sure she listened, if just to restore her faith in humanity. She’d already known Otto’s parents were terrible, although she hadn’t known the details, but she hadn’t expected Awsten to open up to the group like that on his first day. 

Even though it was horrible for Awsten’s parents to treat him like that, it made Patty feel somewhat less alone.

Once everyone had finished telling their stories, most people had to leave, until it was just Patty, Jawn, Maxx, Awsten, Alex, and Jack.

Jack and Alex had somehow ended up cuddling, despite being seated in the uncomfortable plastic school chairs. The small group were chatting about random things, until Jack eventually spoke up.

“I’ve been thinking about coming out...” She said, picking at her clear nail polish and avoiding everyone’s eyes.

Maxx took it in their stride, breaking into a broad grin, “Really? That’s great!”

Jack nodded a little, focusing intently on her nails. “D-Do you guys have any advice?”

It felt strange to Patty, seeing Jack so nervous and small. Usually, she was so boisterous and energetic, her and Alex filling up the empty space in any room, every teachers worst nightmare. Yet here she was, picking at her nails, struggling to even look at her friends.

“Who are you planning to come out to?” Jawn asked, Awsten curled into their side in a similar way to how Jack was curled up with Alex. Awsten’s mood had visually dropped as time passed, and it didn’t take a genius to guess that it was the looming threat of returning home that was causing this spiral.

“I was thinking... Maybe my sister first? Y’know, see how she takes it. Then if it goes well with here I’ll tell my parents. I don’t wanna do it by myself.”

Jawn nodded, “Like how Patty told Rachel first?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Patty looked up when she heard her name (she may or may not have gotten distracted watching Awsten), and took a moment to process the conversation.

Eventually, she said, “Yeah, it’s nice to have someone with you who supports you.”

Jack nodded, face set, clearly thinking or planning, imagining how things would go.

The group fell silent, all lost in their own thoughts, until Miss Hinks spoke up.

“It’s time to leave now, the cleaners need to come in.”

Everyone stood and put their chairs away, Maxx hugging Jack briefly, and saying, “don’t be scared okay, we’re all here for you, whichever way it goes.”

Jack looked like she was about to cry, but she just punched Maxx’s arm, “I know. Thanks.”

They walked as a large group to the gates, but split up when they got there. Alex and Maxx headed one way, Alex giving Jack a quick kiss goodbye, and Jack, Patty, Jawn, and Awsten headed the other way. 

They walked for a while, until Jack turned down a different street, leaving just Patty, Jawn, and Awsten.

Awsten was fidgeting with his hoodie sleeves, tugging them over his hands and such, until Jawn reached out and linked their fingers together. Patty found herself smiling as this small action caused a soft pink blush to blossom across Awsten’s cheeks. 

When Patty turned down her street, a feeling a settled in her chest that she couldn’t quite describe, but it made her feel warm and safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question: Which relationship (romantic or platonic) is your favourite in this fic/ which characters do you think should be together, even if they're not tagged as a confirmed relationship?


End file.
